Madonna not under investigation by FBI: spokeswoman

<p>Singer Madonna arrives at the 2011 Vanity Fair Oscar party in West Hollywood, California February 27, 2011. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok</p>

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A spokeswoman for Madonna said on Tuesday that neither the singer nor a charity she backs in Malawi is being investigated by the FBI.

Some recent unsourced media reports have said that an international education charity the singer backs, Success for Kids, is being investigated by FBI agents in Los Angeles for alleged irregularities and suspicious activity.

The reports follow news last month that another charity backed by Madonna, Raising Malawi, had scrapped a plan to build a school for impoverished girls in Malawi due to mismanagement. The board of that charity was sacked.

“In recent days a number of wild and totally false rumors about Madonna’s philanthropy -- spread by bloggers and tabloids -- have begun appearing on the Internet,” Madonna’s spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg said in a statement.

“Neither Madonna nor Raising Malawi is being investigated by the FBI or the IRS (U.S. tax authorities). It is unfortunate that people have chosen to say things about Raising Malawi and Madonna that are not true.”

Rosenberg said the singer “remains committed and focused on what matters helping the children of Malawi”.

She did not immediately reply to a query seeking comment on the Success for Kids charity. The charity’s website states Madonna is the chair of the Board of Directors.